Google has a secret reference desk

(cardcatalogforlife.substack.com)

21 points | by maxutility a day ago ago

5 comments

  • runningmike a day ago

    Nice article. But the warning can be stronger imho: Instead of: "Don’t assume your results are the same as anyone else’s."

    "The results search you get from G*gle results are unique."

    G*gle does not use the easy to use Lucene search syntax but has many 'magic' things, like:

    Searching for high-quality Open Access content or solid technical answers on software challenges requires a rigorous scientific methodology, combined with creativity and extensive experience. Despite being a crucial competency, it is rarely taught in depth.

    Even with the rise of LLMs, effectively navigating search results remains an unsolved problem.

  • joveian a day ago

    All of that and only as an aside mentioning the best search engine for quality information: Google Scholar. Academics publish stuff about just about everything which is often open access and the search seems to include some blogs these days, not just formal journals.

  • Tomte a day ago

    And again Stuttgart City Library. It has almost become the default image of a library.

  • Tacite a day ago

    I don't get the difference between "verbatim" and quotation marks between words

  • ardline a day ago

    This reminds me of a problem we hit at work. Ended up going a different direction but same root issue.